Shot in the dark
by lizzieten
Summary: All it took was one well-placed bullet and the youngest Winchester collapsed in a heap on the cold hard ground. LIMP Sam. OVERPROTECTIVE dean and John
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

All it took was one well-placed bullet, and then the youngest Winchester collapsed to the ground in a sprouting out over his white tshirt, from where he was standing on the rooftop it looked like a direct hit to the boys heart. He wished he didn't have to take out a child but in light of the circumstances he'd had no choice. In all honesty he would have thought that someone like the Winchesters would have known he was coming after all, it wasn't like nobody was going to find out who what the youngest was, or would be when he was older anyways. Even as he was taking his rifle apart he watched as Dean and John Winchester scrambled to help their youngest. Even then the man grinning knowing there wouldn't be much that could be done for Sam. for a moment his conscious bothered him after all Sam was still just a kid and he had pretty much just shot him in cold blood. But if the future was like anything he had been shown then he'd had no choice but to shoot him, he couldn't let THAT future happen. Sighing, and silently congratulating himself on a job well done, he stood and shouldered his rifle and before anyone could even think to look up at him, disappeared off of the rooftop that overlooked the street. He hoped even as he ran that John Winchester would never find out who exactly it was that had shot Sam because he had the feeling he would the one with bullet in his heart.

ON THE STREET

Dean Winchester stepped out of the diner and onto the busy street; he turned and waited for his brother and father to come out.

"Come on Sam" John called as he walked out the door half turned so that he was looking back at Sam, who was still talking to the pretty girl he had met on the hunt. John was glad that Sam was making friends but at the moment they needed to get back on the road. John didn't know why but he kept getting the feeling that he needed to get Sam out of there, he had the feeling that his youngest was in some kind of danger, and it was starting to make him more than a little irritable because he didn't know what other danger was lurking around the corner.

"I'll be there in a second" Sam said before turning back to the young blonde.

"I guess I'd better go before my dad has a fit" Sam said after he had finished programing her phone number into his phone, even though he knew the odds of him actually calling her would be slim.

"Thanks again for saving my butt" she said smiling, even as a small blush crept up on Sam's cheeks. "I know you don't want people knowing what you do because they will think you are crazy, I don't not, anymore" she said "I'm grateful that you guys are out there saving the world even if the world doesn't know it."

"I don't care if the world knows or not" Sam said shrugging "I care about the people that are being hurt by these creatures that they don't even know exist".

"I hope I see you again but under different circumstances" she said softly as Sam was turning towards the door.

"If you see me again it's probably not a good thing" he said chuckling as he ignored his father's irritated huff. He knew John wanted to get back on the road again but he wanted to say goodbye to Sophie before they hit the road again.

"Stay safe" she said reaching out and giving Sam a quick hug, Sam returned the hug gently.

"I'll try my best" Sam said laughing as he turned and followed his father out the door. Sam was right behind his father and barely out on the street when he felt something slam into him so hard it took his breath away, and when he glanced down he saw that his shirt was turning a bright red, confused Sam dropped to his knees hitting the ground hard. The pain hit him hard he wasn't sure what had happened one minute he was okay and now he was falling forward onto his hands, in the background he thought he heard someone screaming and then he felt rough hands turning him over and gently laying him on his back. He looked up and it was into his brother's worried eyes. Sam opened his mouth to ask what had happened but he felt the urge to cough and there was a sudden stickiness in the back of his throat, and he gave a harsh cough to clear it, unaware that he had just covered his brother's shirt in blood.

"Sam, stay with me" Dean yelled as he tried to apply pressure to the gunshot in his brother's chest. Terror filled him as he watched Sam's eyes drift close, and Dean found himself shaking him hard.

"Sam stay with us, you're going to be just fine" Dean said pressing down harder on the wound. Beside him John was barking orders into his cell phone; he had called for help as soon as he'd seen the redness spreading across Sam's shirt. Assured that the ambulance would be there within a few minutes, John slammed his phone shut then kneeled down beside Sam. John watched as Sam struggled to stay awake and to breath and he prayed that the ambulance would make it in time, but as the seconds ticked by John and Dean both watched as Sam grew paler and paler.

"Come on Sam" Dean pleaded softly "don't you dare die on me, it's not allowed didn't you know that?" Dean could feel the tears start to choke him and he struggled not to lose his composure Sam needed him to be strong right now. "You can't do this to me, I can't hunt without my trusty geeky sidekick, who the hell's going to be reading the books to find whatever Latin translation we need" Dean begged softly "You know I hate reading, so you got to stay with me, I can't do this without you." Sam looked up at Dean, sadness clearly in eyes, he wanted to fight for his brother and father but right now he was feeling sleepy, and cold and if he just rested for just a minute he would be alright. Sam's eyes slid shut and this time no amount of shaking from Dean got him to return to consciousness.

TBC?

The whole time I'm writing this my lights keep flickering, (and irritating the living hell out of me) guess that's reality telling me it's time to call it a night. Hope you liked it thanks for reading and reviewing.


	2. Chapter 2

Shot in the dark

Chapter two

Dean felt panic capture his heart in a vise like grip as he watched his little brother's life spill out onto the ground. He couldn't believe it, one minute they had been perfectly fine and healthy and the next Sammy was dying in his arms. How the hell had their day gone so wrong? Dean added more pressure to Sam's chest; he wouldn't let his brother die, not like this.

"Please Sammy just hang on, let me do the hard work you just concentrate on staying alive" Dean pleaded as he watched his brother gasp for air.

"It sounds like the bullet hit his lung" John said angry that someone had shot his child. "When I find the bastard that did this it's all over for him, human or not he's a dead man." He hated seeing Sam in pain, in fact John could almost feel the pain Sam was in himself and it made him that much angrier.

"Why the hell would someone do this?" Dean asked tearfully struggling to keep it together, though it was hard because Sam looked worse by the minute.

"I don't know" John answered "But when I find out no answer is going to be good to keep me from killing him for doing this." John knelt down beside Sam and gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. Though the kid was unconscious John hoped that Sam could feel him, he wished he could lend his son the strength to pull through.

"Stay strong Sammy" John said softly "Help will be here soon" even as he said the words he could hear the sirens speeding around the corner. John breathed in relief, Sam wasn't doing well but at the moment he was still breathing so that was something to be grateful for. John squeezed Sam's hand gently.

"They're here kiddo, don't worry you'll be fine" The words felt like a lie coming from his lips because everything about Sam's condition screamed that things were not okay. Taking a deep breath John stepped back as the medics jumped out of the ambulance that had just pulled up to the curb.

The medics immediately surrounded Sam and Dean, kneeling down David took over putting pressure on Sam's chest even though Dean was refusing to move.

"I'm not leaving him" Dean said firmly the terror clear in his eyes "I promised him I wasn't going to leave his side, and I intend to keep my promise."

"We can't keep your brother alive if you don't move?" Michael the other medic said feeling a little impatient. He was here to do a job and he didn't like anyone getting in his way.

John put his hand on Dean's shoulder and tugged him away from Sam. He didn't like how the medic had spoken to Dean but he knew in the end that Dean would only end up getting in the way.

"They're his only chance of living right now" John said softly "Let them do what is necessary for him." Knowing his father was right Dean nodded and watched helplessly as the medics began taking Sam's vitals down and shouting out numbers that seemed all too useless to Dean but that Dean knew would be important to Sam's wellbeing.

"Please don't die" Dean murmured as he watched the medics lift Sam onto the waiting gurney. He winced as he heard a low moan come from Sam; if he could he would have traded places with Sam in an instant. He hated seeing his brother suffer, it hurt knowing there wasn't anything else that Dean could physically do for his brother.

"They'll take care of him" John said softly from beside Dean, "They're trained to deal with this."

"Why the hell would anybody want to shoot a kid?" Dean asked feeling angry that he hadn't been able to stop it.

"I don't know" John said though he had the feeling he knew why someone had done it, and if he was correct in his assumptions he was going to be looking for a fellow hunter. "But make no mistake whoever it is is a dead man as soon as I find him."

"Not until you let me have a piece of him" Dean growled and the threat was clearly heard. John shivered at the coldness in his eldest son's voice, he knew Dean would follow through on that threat, not that John could blame him. He was angry that someone had literally just tried to assassinate a fourteen year old kid.

Before the ambulance took off Dean climbed in the back.

"I'll meet you at the hospital" he called out to John who nodded and then turned around and looked up at the buildings. Whoever had shot Sam would have had to do it high up, maybe he could find some clues as to who it was if he found the spot the shooter had been. Not seeing anything from where he stood John frowned whoever it had been must have been one hell of a sniper.

"I'll be back later" John muttered as he turned and headed towards the impala. "You won't escape from me, trained sniper or not. Nobody tries to murder my boys." Climbing into the car, he started it and pulled away from the curb. He needed to find out how Sam was doing, his revenge could wait till later.

Meanwhile in the ambulance, Dean sat clenching Sam's hand tightly in his own. Almost as if he let go of his hold, Sam would somehow lose the little grip he had on life.

"This kid is going to have to go straight to surgery" David muttered. He had noticed as they had rolled Sam over to put him on the gurney that there was no exit wound for the bullet which meant that it was still inside him causing who knew how much damage.

"Is he stable enough for surgery?" Dean asked quietly.

"No, but if he's going to survive surgery is the only way. The bullet can't just stay in there." David said as he continued to apply pressure to the bullet wound.

Suddenly out of nowhere Sam's gasping chest went completely still. Dean stared at his brother in shock feeling as if he was in a nightmare as the medic beside him quickly jumped into action and got out the paddles and prepared to shock Sam back into life.

Dean got out of his way but he stayed close to Sam's side, offering what little support he could.

"Sammy, you don't have the right to do this right now" Dean said softly "You still have to get married, if you can find a woman willing to put up with your nerdy tendencies that is."

David smirked as he placed the paddles on Sam's bare chest. It sounded like Sam had a strong support system, and he hoped that Dean would continue to refuse to give Sam up. If Sam somehow heard his brother from wherever he was now, then just maybe he would be willing to continue fighting. Sam's body arched as the electric current ran through it, but still Sam remained limp on the gurney.

"Come on kid" David muttered as he got ready to shock Sam again. "Don't do this to your family; I don't think they'd appreciate it too much." Placing the paddles on Sam's chest again, Dean watched as his little brother's body arched up off of the gurney, pain stabbed at Dean's heart almost like someone was stabbing him in the heart, and it only got worse the longer Sam didn't respond.

"Please Sammy" Dean pleaded "Don't do this. I need you and so does Dad. We can't do this job without you. You're the glue that holds us together." A tear dripped down Dean's face as he watched his little brother continue to not respond to the currents racing through him.

After several minutes of Sam not responding, David gave up on the electric shock. He felt numb as he realized the kid before him had let go of the fragile string that was known as life.

"I'm sorry" David said turned to face a stunned Dean, who was now openly crying. "He's gone. I tried everything."

"No" Dean said tears blinding him "He can't die, he's too young and we need him to keep hunting." The pain Dean felt was so great that if he hadn't already been sitting down he would have been in the floor.

"Sam, you have to come back" Dean said leaning over and placing his hand on Sam's chest. "You don't get to go where I can't follow. It's not allowed." Dean cried out as grief took a firm hold of him. "You don't get to do this" Dean yelled and before he realized what he was doing his hand had made a fist and he had hit him hard on the chest. He done this several more times trying to somehow rid himself of the pain he was feeling. Dean had just raised his fist again ready to hit his brother when he heard a sound that startled both him and the medic that was back there with him.

Sam gasped for air, which was the most beautiful sound Dean had ever heard as he reached out and grabbed Sam's hand tight in his own again.

"Don't ever do that again" he said as David leaped into action beside him. Dean breathed hard and let it out slowly, the stress from this situation was about to kill him.

A few minutes later they pulled into the Emergency room entrance. Once the vehicle was parked, David threw open the doors and Michael came around and helped him lift the gurney out.

"We have a fourteen year old gunshot victim" David called out as they rushed him through the ER doors. "He crashed on the way here, so I don't need to tell you his condition is very critical." The voices stopped as they disappeared leaving Dean there staring at the doors.

"How is he?" John asked seeing his son standing there as if in shock.

"He crashed" Dean said "the medic declared him dead for several minutes" John closed his eyes as a wave of pain hit him. He could only imagine what Dean was feeling right about now. Having had to witness his brother being shot and crashing it was bound to be stressful.

"He needs surgery but I don't know if he's strong enough to make it through it" Dean said feeling like a robot that was emotionless and just spouting off information. "He's lost a lot of blood, how the hell is he going to survive?"

"Don't doubt your brother" John said as he grabbed Dean by the arm and dragged him towards the waiting room, as they were sitting down something occurred to John.

"How the hell did you beat the ambulance here?" he stared at John interested in finding out the answer.

"I didn't waste as much time looking for clues and I knew a few short cuts to get here" John answered easily. He'd had all routes to the hospital planned out incase their hunt had gone sideways and they needed to get to the hospital fast.

"I'm going to kill the bastard that done this" Dean growled as stared at his blood stained hands. "I'll make sure he's in worse pain than Sam is."

"I'll help you" John agreed but he couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a hunter that had gone after Sam. the problem with that was why would they have gone after him unless they somehow knew about the demon blood? If that was the case how the hell would they know about it, it wasn't supposed to come to pass for a few more years. And until something in Sam changed John was going to be very protective over his youngest.

Four hours later a white haired doctor exited the emergency room doors.

"Winchester Family" he called out to the nearly empty waiting room. John stood and the doctor walked over and introduced himself.

"I'm Dr. Harris I'm in charge of your son's case."

"How is he?" Dean asked looking up from his hands.

"He's in critical condition and I won't lie there's a chance he won't make it through the night. He's suffered severe blood loss, which we have had a hard time replenishing. What worries me most is that the bullet grazed Sam's heart and punctured his lung, the lung collapsed but we have managed to fix that, what we need to worry about is pneumonia, we have him on antibiotics so he should be protected from that." Dr. Harris said.

"The bullet grazed his heart?" John asked he'd never heard of that happening but he supposed that it was possible.

"Yes, it caused a very small bleed but that has been fixed as well, we had the best cardiologist in the country work on it and if Sam does what he needs to as he recovers he shouldn't have any problems." Dean sighed it sounded like Sam was going to be alright if he managed to make it through the night. For once it looked like luck was on their side.

"When can we see him?" Dean asked.

"In a little while we are getting him settled into the ICU right now" Dr. Harris replied glad that he'd had some good news to give the family. He hated when he had to tell the parents of one so young that the child had died on the table. He was so glad that that hadn't been the case tonight.

Once the doctor had disappeared back behind the doors, Dean turned to John.

"I don't know why but I keep getting the feeling that whoever tried to kill Sam, if he finds out Sam's still alive, He's going to try again."

"That won't happen" John smirked "Because I'm calling in extra help. Bobby and Caleb I know would want to be here, and I'm going to try and get a hold of Pastor Jim too." Dean chuckled if that asshole tried to show up here, he'd quickly find out why you didn't want to mess with the Winchesters.

**(and don't think that his recovery will actually be that easy)**

**Sorry about the wait guys, I meant to have this chapter posted yesterday but I got busy and then I worked the late shift and didn't have time so I hope you enjoy and that it makes sense to you. one more thing I will try to have another chapter of Comatose up sometime tomorrow. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz**


	3. Chapter 3

Shot in the dark

Chapter 3

Meanwhile at the local hospital John and Dean had finally been allowed to go see Sam. When they arrived in the room, they were relieved to see that he didn't look nearly as bad as they thought he would. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and he was hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor otherwise, he looked like he was just sleeping. Dean sighed and grabbed the seat closest to Sam's head.

"Hey, Kiddo glad to know you're going to be okay, you had us worried there for a while. You damn near bought it on the way over, by the way if you ever do that again, I'll follow you and kick your ass back to life. In all honesty though, you scared the hell out of me dude." Dean said as he gently ran a hand through Sam's shaggy locks. Dean watched Sam sleep for a few minutes his mind slowly drifting back to the mind numbing terror he had experienced only hours earlier. He never wanted to go through that again, watching his brother slowly bleed out, and knowing that there wasn't much that he could do to help physically, it made Dean feel helpless and Dean Winchester did not do helpless well at all.

"Whoever done this must have been sick" Dean spoke softly hoping that Sam would stay in his drugged sleep a little while longer. "How the hell can some try to put a bullet through an innocent kid's heart? What makes them think that that is the right thing to do?"

"I don't know" John said quietly "but I have a theory and I hope to god that I am wrong, because if it was done for the reason that I'm thinking, than if they find out he's alive, they won't stop, they'll keep coming until they know he's dead for sure."

"We can't let that happen" Dean said scowling and instantly feeling twice as protective over his injured little brother than he normally was.

"I agree which is why Bobby and the others are on their way as we speak. We may have missed this guy once but we won't miss him again." There was a fierce protectiveness in John's words that made Dean feel sorry for the bastard that had decided to shoot Sam. then again as he thought about how Sam had gotten paler and paler in his arms and then had crashed in the ambulance on the way to the hospital in trace of pity was cleaned out of Dean's system. He never wanted to see Sam that way again and if Dean had to walk through hell himself to make sure it didn't happen that's exactly what he would do. No one could call him a bad brother far from it.

John sighed as he watched Sam he knew that in a few hours Sam would probably wake and he would be hurting like hell. He hated that Sam even had to go through it, but he would be keeping a close eye on his boy from now until it was time for him to get out of the hospital.

"This sure does but a hamper on hunting for now" Dean said interrupting John's thoughts.

"Sure it does but wouldn't you rather have a little brother to hunt with?" John asked.

"Do you even need to ask that?" Dean replied and John rolled his eyes. He had the feeling Dean would be driving Sam crazy on his road to recovery, with Dean's mother henning act and all, but he was glad to know that Dean could mother hen him. He didn't want to think of what could have happened if Sam had died.

A few hours later they heard a low groan come from the bed, and they looked up to see Sam blinking owlishly at them.

"How do you feel?" Dean asked knowing automatically what Sam's answer would be.

"'ike 'ell" Sam moaned the pain coming in another wave, for an instant it hurt so bad that he almost wished he'd died, he didn't think he would be able to stand the pain.

"We'll get you something for that" John said quietly as he walked out the door to get a nurse, he wasn't going to let his son suffer any longer than he had to.

"You're going to be okay" Dean said "you got real lucky, the damn bullet only grazed you're heart. Guess we can count our lucky stars that the person is clearly a bad shot." Dean babbled not knowing what else to do to get Sam's focus away from his pain.

" D'en" Sam said softly so low that Dean barely heard him.

"Yeah?" Dean said leaning closer.

"Shut the 'ell up" Sam said forcing a small smile to Dean's face. His little brother was truly going to be okay.

"Whatever you want Sammy" Dean said cheerfully.

A few minutes later nurse walked in, she smiled at Sam.

"So somebody woke up in pain I hear" she talked softly while insert a syringe into Sam's IV line. "We'll see what we can do to fix that." She smiled again as she finished adding the medicine to his IV.

"You'll probably go to sleep again in just a few minutes" she said "but when you wake up again the pain won't be so bad, so just rest easy for us will you?" the dark haired girl asked. Sam nodded and within five minutes his eyes drifted closed again.

Meanwhile at a not so distant hotel, a lonely hunter lay stretched out on a motel bed, watching the news. He wasn't surprised to find the story on the teen that'd been shot was on.

"So far there are no suspects in the shooting of a teenager" the footage then shot to an image of the teen being loaded into an ambulance. "The teen is currently listed in critical condition at Memorial Hospital, the doctors have reported that while his condition is serious, there is a good chance that he will pull through and make a full recovery."

The hunter sat up in surprise, he had thought the boy had taken a direct hit to the heart. So how the hell was he still alive?

"You have got to be shitting me" he muttered and then out of nowhere he heard a flutter and someone appeared beside his bed.

"I thought I told you to kill him?" the being said harshly.

"I thought I had" the hunter said "I thought I'd hit him in the heart."

"Well clearly you didn't, can you fix this mistake or do you need me to do it, I can guarantee it won't be pleasant for either of you."

"Why would you kill me?" the hunter asked "You're an angel you're not supposed to be killing innocent people."

"I don't kill people I kill monsters" the angel replied "and you're going to take the life of kid, so what's that make you?"

The hunter scowled.

"The kids not innocent you told me he was a monster" The hunter replied glaring at the angel.

"Of course he's monster" the angel replied "I wasn't lying about that. You had better kill him this time, no more mistakes or you're going to pay for it, and I'll kill the boy myself." That being said the angel disappeared.

"I'll do it right this time" he muttered as a plan began to form in his mind. This time he didn't think there was any way the monster wouldn't die.

**And in the last chapter I thought it appropriate that it be Dean that brought Sam back instead of the medic. Anyways this is probably not the best but considering I'm half exhausted from working late, it's what my tired mind came up with. Didn't want to make you wait so long for an update so here it is, hope you enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz**


	4. Chapter 4

Shot in the dark

Chapter four

Several hours later Sam awoke to the sight of his brother and father sleeping soundly beside him, what he hadn't expected to see was the addition of three other people crowding his bed. He was glad they were there; he hadn't seen any of them for a while. He sighed and took a deep breath, testing for pain. He was relieved to find that it didn't hurt as much as it had last time he woke up.

"The runts awake" Sam heard a voice say from over on his right, looking over he stared at Caleb who had been quietly talking to Pastor Jim.

"I'm not a runt" Sam informed Caleb who only smirked and muttered. "Sure you are." Sam rolled his eyes and then tried to sit up, wincing as he pulled at the stitches in his chest.

"Ow" he moaned as he rubbed at the stitches gently. The pained groan woke Dean up and he sat up and stretched, he nodded towards Bobby and Jim before turning his attention back to Sam.

"Good to see you're awake" Dean said "How are you feeling?"

"Not as bad as I was last time I woke up" Sam replied though he was starting to feel sleepy again. Lying back down, he looked over at Dean.

"When did Bobby and the other two get here?" He asked.

"Just a few short hours ago" Bobby answered for Dean. "Everyone was sleeping and we decided we weren't going to wake you up just to say hello."

"It's good to see you guys" Sam said "I'm glad you're here, but is it really necessary?" Dean glanced at Bobby, they hadn't exactly told Sam they didn't think the guy who had shot him would try again once he found out Sam was alive.

"At this moment in time you could use the company" John said as he also sat up and stretched his stiff muscles. He failed to mention that they were there for extra protection. There was no need to worry Sam right now when nothing was happening.

"When can I get out of here?" Sam asked yawning. He was already bored but he knew he was likely to be in the hospital for some time.

"You've have quite the recovery ahead of you" John said "So you won't be getting out for a little while." Sam frowned.

"Dude, you had a bullet graze your heart and lodge into your lung" Dean said "You're not going to be right as rain after twenty four hours. I'm surprised you're as aware as you are right now."

"I'm starting to hurt again" Sam said "but it's not that bad right now, I think I can last for a little while longer before I need to take anything else."

"As soon as it gets bad enough you had better let me know" Dean said "There's no need for you to suffer unnecessarily." That being said the room broke out into separate conversations, none of them aware that the would be assassin was currently in the hospital taking stock of the "security" around Sam.

A little while later after Sam had been sleeping for a few hours, upon opening his eyes, he was ready for some morphine, his chest felt like it was on fire, it hurt so bad. Dean was still sitting beside Sam's bed quietly chatting with Caleb, when he saw Sam's eyes open and the pain that Dean saw in his little brother's gaze, felt like a stab in the gut.

"Time for some more meds?" Dean asked quietly Sam nodded as he stifled the urge to cry out. He had never hurt this badly before. Dean leaned over and hit the nurses call button.

While waiting for the nurse to come to the room, John leaned over the bed, and gently wiped away the tears that had filled Sam's eyes.

"I know it hurts buddy" he said softly "but it will be over soon, just hang in there for me okay?" Sam nodded and bit down hard on his lip. He wished the pain would end.

Five minutes later a male nurse walked into the room, with a syringe in one hand.

"Where's Julia?" Dean asked wondering where the usual nurse was.

"She's a little tied up at the moment" The nurse replied as he inserted the syringe into the IV line and depressed the contents into Sam's system. When he finished he tossed the syringe in the trash then walked out none of them noticing the smirk on his face as he left.

"That was a little strange" Dean commented all the other nurses who had helped take care of Sam had at least made small talk with him, this one didn't even seem to care. In fact he'd seemed almost cold towards the young patient.

"That was more than a little strange" John said scowling and getting up and walking out of the room without saying anything. He walked up to the nurses' station.

"Can you tell me who just administered my son's pain meds?" he asked "he was a male, about thirty years old with dark blond hair and blue eyes."

"We don't have any male nurses fitting that description?" the nurse sitting behind the desk replied, "in fact right now we don't even have any male nurses on duty right now." John scowled and turned and rushed back towards Sam's room. That meant that the so called assassin had made it past their little security team.

He entered Sam's room with the nurse named Brenda right on his heels. What he saw terrified him, Sam was seizing violently on the bed. Dean and Caleb were struggling to hold him down, but they could barely keep a grip on the writhing boy.

"He just started seizing right after you left" Dean panted as he narrowly avoided being hit in the face.

"Shit" Brenda muttered before hitting the nurse call button, paging the other nurses for help. A few short minutes later the group of men had been shoved out of the room as they worked desperately to get the seizure under control.

"That guy is a brave little cretin showing his face here" John said scowling even though he was starting to feel guilty that he'd let the guy get to his son a second time. "The so called nurse is the man that shot him." He announced quietly.

"Doesn't take him long to get to work does it?" Dean scowled wanting to go after the man.

"He messed up in showing us his face" John said "We know who he is so now we know who to look for."

"If I get my hands on him I'm going to kill him painfully and slowly" Caleb said he loved Sam like the little brother he didn't have, nobody got by with hurting him when he was around.

"I get first dibs" Dean said his face looking murderously angry. He couldn't believe the guy had the nerve to show his face here.

"I want to know what he gave Sam that would make him react like that?" Caleb said voicing his thoughts "there's drugs that could easily just make his heart stop without going through the seizures."

"I'm betting that he didn't want to kill Sam in an easy way but he wanted him to suffer." Jim said.

"So we're dealing with a sadistic son of a bitch." Dean growled as he clenched his hands into fists.

"Certainly seems like it" Jim agreed as the nurses started coming out of Sam's room a few hours later.

"What the hell took so long?" John demanded worried about his youngest.

"He had a bad reaction to the anti-seizure medicine we gave him" Brenda said "he crashed but we were able to bring him back, whoever gave him that drug knew what they were doing, they knew that the anti-seizure drug we gave him would react with the drug that he gave him. He knew it would make him crash. But he also knows that in the event that we can restart his heart, that the two combined drugs will do some serious damage to his organs." She frowned none of this was going to go well with the trauma that Sam had already suffered.

"What kind of damage?" Dean asked slowly as all the information she had given them slowly sank in.

"Heart failure, liver, kidney failure, and the list goes on. There is no way to know how this one is going to end." She left them to digest the information that they were just given.

"I'd say we find and disembowel that son of a bitch" Dean said.

"I'm with you" Caleb quickly agreed.

"No one hurts my little brother and gets by with it."

**Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Have a great night/morning. Liz**


	5. Chapter 5

Shot in the dark

Chapter five

Twenty minutes later after getting the sleeping Sam settled once more, the nurses let the small group of people back into his room. Once John checked over his sleeping youngest, he turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked curious as to why his father was leaving.

"I'm going to find the son of a bitch who thinks he can get by with trying to kill Sam."

"Where are you going to start, we don't know anything about him?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to give his description to the police and see if he has a record, which will serve the purpose in finding out who he is and how well he's trained." _And maybe just find out exactly how violent he is. _John thought determined to protect his youngest at all cost.

"I'm going by myself so I expect you guys to not let anyone through that door, even if they are dressed like a nurse. Sam damn near paid the price for us trusting anyone who walks through that door. it won't happen again" John said before disappearing through the doorway.

"Damn right it won't" Dean muttered turning around to watch Sam sleep. He wondered if Sam would suffer through the organ failure or if there was only a chance of that happening. He hoped it didn't happen, it would only lead to more suffering on Sam's part and Dean didn't think he would be able to handle that well. After there should only be so much suffering that he would have to watch. Dean sighed and stood up and stretched. As much as he didn't want to think about it the possibilities of Sam's body effectively shutting down on him were obviously pretty high thanks to the cretin who had first shot Sam and then had slipped some sort of drug into his system. No matter what happened Dean would be here helping Sam in any way possible.

"You're borrowing trouble" Caleb said from where he was leaning against the wall looking out the window. "You're worrying about something that might not happen."

"Might not happen?" Dean questioned "Have you not noticed exactly how bad our luck is?"

"It's not any worse than any other hunters" Caleb replied "and as for Sam being here now I'd say that was more a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And how is that not bad luck?" Dean said sarcastically, the stress from the situation making itself known. He took a deep breath willing himself to calm down, getting angry wasn't going to help Sam in this situation.

"Sorry man" Dean said "this situation and not knowing where the cretin's going to strike next is really bugging me."

"Understandable" Caleb said "but we're here to help not just protect Sammy."

"You're starting to sound like Sam" Dean muttered "he always wants to talk things out, that doesn't fly with me."

"Cause you're a stubborn ass like you're father" Caleb said. Dean rolled his eyes and sat back down beside Sam.

The next few hours went by peacefully Sam slept on snoring softly. Caleb had gone back to staring out the window and Jim and Bobby were quietly discussing the situation, and Dean just sat beside Sam wondering if his father had found anything out. He also wondered just how difficult Sam's life was about to become, because he had a feeling Sam would be dealing with the consequences of the asshole mixing the medicines that Sam had been given. He didn't care what Caleb called it, it was still Winchester luck that they were here at all. Dean also wondered if his father would murder him if he just took Sam and ran for the hills. He wanted desperately for Sam to be safe and he didn't think there would be any way possible for him to be safe even with the others helping him.

Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he was beyond tired but there was no way in hell that he was going to risk going to sleep not after what had happened only hours earlier. When it all came down to it, it was basic instinct to protect Sam, and Dean would give it his all to do just that. Nothing was taking his little brother from before Sam was at least a hundred years old. Dean could see himself now trying to bargain with death just to let Sam live for another few years. He laughed out loud at the picture of himself grey headed trying to talk to the grim reaper. If the grim reaper tried to take Sam before then Dean was going to make sure he kicked its ass. Not even death would be allowed to get near Sam right now.

"Got a comedy going on in the brain of yours?" Caleb asked looking over at Dean at the sound of his friend's laugh.

"Nothing you need to know about" Dean said chuckling again; Caleb rolled his eyes, if he knew Dean than it was probably something about a busty chick. If that was the case Caleb didn't want to know anything about it.

"One of these days you're going to get yourself in trouble" Caleb said. Then he turned around as he heard someone approaching from down the hallway. Caleb reached into his jacket and gripped the handle of the blade he kept hidden there. From out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that everybody else took a threatening position themselves. Nobody was going to get past them now, not unless the person wanted to die. They all grew even more silent as the footsteps stopped in the doorway for a moment and then walked into the room.

Caleb had been about to pull his blade when he noticed it was only John who had entered the room.

"Glad to see you were prepared for the worst" John said as they relaxed their positions and went back to what they had been doing previously.

"Find anything out?" Dean asked curious about his father's information hunting trip.

"His name is Miles Desmond, he's more or less a trained assassin and he's damned good at it." John said.

"Couldn't prove it by me, the moron missed the first time, and the second time, wasn't exactly anything to brag about." Dean said.

"The jury's still out on whether or not that second attempt is going to amount to anything, it doesn't mean that it won't." John said "we're going to have to keep an even closer eye on him than usual and if he shows any signs of any kind of failure back into the hospital for him."

"Don't tell me you're taking him out of the hospital?" Caleb asked sounding surprised one in Sam's condition didn't need to be moved right now.

"If that dickwad makes a third attempt, you bet your ass I'm moving him" John said "I won't allow Sam to be hurt again, and Desmond has gotten too close for comfort both times, who's to say that the third time isn't the charm?"

"I won't let it be" Dean said his voice low and deadly "I'll disembowel the freak and then shove his insides down his throat and leave him for the dogs to eat. He won't get anywhere near close to Sam again."

"Remind me not to piss Dean off" Caleb muttered backing away from his younger friend. He knew Dean was more than slightly overprotective over Sam but this was taking it to the extreme. Then again after everything the poor kid had already been through with a bullet that damn near took him from his family, and the injuries he'd suffered from that, and then the arrogant asshole had strolled right into his room and had tried to take him out again. The way Caleb saw it Sam was due to get some payback for everything he'd suffered and from the looks of things Dean would be the first but certainly not the last to dish it out. _No worries kiddo _Caleb thought as he looked over at the sleeping teen _the fearless hunters aren't afraid of the professional assassin and we don't mind taking him on for you. He won't hurt you anymore. _

**Not much in way of action but definitely a declaration of intention. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I will get more up asap. Thanks for reading and reviewing and now I am off to take care of my migraine. Have a good night. Liz**


	6. Chapter 6

Shot in the dark

Chapter 6

Sam woke up a few hours later still feeling a little sore, even as he slowly sat up in his bed. He felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart. Wincing, he rubbed his chest over his heart as if that would make the pain go away. After a few minutes the pain ebbed away making Sam think it was just a part of the gunshot wound.

Sighing, Sam lay back down on the bed, around him the hunters slept in various positions ranging from on the chairs to on the floor. He was glad they were here. He didn't know why his attacker had chosen him, but Sam knew that whoever it was had made the last mistake. No matter how long it took his father and brother would hunt him down. Sam groaned again when he felt another twinge in chest. Considering as doped as he was on pain meds, he figured he wouldn't be able to feel anything. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You feeling okay Sammy?" He heard his brother's voice come from somewhere off to the left of him.

"My chest hurts" Sam replied "But I think it has to do with getting shot."

"Are you sure about that?" Dean asked knowing that Sam would hide his hurt if he thought he could get by with it.

"Positive" Sam replied as the pain once again went away, Sam almost sighed in relief. He wondered why he had been the one to be shot, he had only been a visitor to the town he was currently stuck in. surely he hadn't managed to piss somebody off that much. As a matter of fact for once Sam couldn't even remember making an enemy of any of the other students. That only led back to the question why him? What made him so special that he had been made the target of a killer? Was the thing human or was it a supernatural creature? Sam didn't really want to find out, he just wanted to put this whole thing behind him and get on with it.

Suddenly a hand entered his line of vision making him blink in confusion.

"Earth to Sammy" Dean said. Sam scowled at Dean, causing his older brother to chuckle.

"Do we know anything about the thing that shot me?" Sam asked turning to watch Dean.

"We know his name and what he looks like, we just don't know where he's at" Dean said sounding frustrated he wanted this nightmare to end. Not just for Sam but for their own sanity, they would all go crazy if the cretin wasn't caught soon.

"Human or supernatural critter?" Sam asked although he had a feeling what the thing had been.

"Human" Dean answered "Though you can hardly call him that for trying to take out a little kid."

"I'm not little" Sam griped swatting at the hand that came in to ruffle his hair.

"You're still smaller than I am" Dean said.

"Barely" Sam grumbled as he felt another twinge in his chest. He was starting to think that maybe this didn't have anything to do with the gunshot wound after all. It felt like it was coming directly from his heart, which made Sam wonder exactly how that was possible. From what he had understood the bullet had grazed his heart, but surely that wasn't enough to make him feel the way he was feeling now.

"Did the doctors tell you anything else about my condition?" Sam asked. "I just want to know how long it's going to take me to recover."

"Other than a bullet grazing your heart and then lodging in your heart you know everything already" Dean said though he hated lying to Sam for any reason, but he figured in this case the less the kid knew the better off he was. "Why are you starting to feel bad again?"

"Not really" Sam said turning to look out the window beside his bed. Dean had a feeling that Sam was lying but figured that if something was going wrong Sam would talk to him about it. Then again he had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse, and Dean wasn't going to let that happen. He would have to shoo the others out of the room so he could talk to Sam once they had woken up.

Sam closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep leaving Dean to his thoughts.

"Has Sam woken up yet?" John asked as he sat up and stretched, he was plenty stiff from having slept in the hard plastic chair all night. Though there was place he'd rather be if it meant keeping his boys safe.

"He was up a few minutes ago" Dean said thoughtfully "I think he's starting to have problems with his heart. He keeps making faces when he thinks that I'm not paying attention."

"Shit" John muttered "I didn't think it would start so soon."

"Then again it could just be the stitches getting pulled" Dean offered hating to worry his father over something that might not mean anything.

"I'm going to get Desmond if it's the last thing I do" John growled. Nobody hurt his boys ever especially if John was around to do anything about it. John turned and without saying anything to Dean walked out of the room. He was going to find out what was going on with Sam. He had to know if they were dealing with the early stages of heart failure. He found a nurse at the nurses' station.

"Something wrong with Sam?" the dark haired nurse asked. She had gotten to know John and Dean fairly well since Sam had been brought in.

"We think he's having problems with his heart" John said and Emily frowned.

"It would be too soon for that to start showing up" she commented puzzled at the situation "Normally the side effects of those two medications would take months to even take effect. So how are they starting now, if that is indeed what they are?"

"I'm not the medical professional here" John said annoyed "So why don't you tell me? Is there any kind of test that could be run to find out."

"I'll see what I can do" she told John "so why don't you go wait with Sam." John nodded and walked back towards Sam's room. Sam was still asleep but the other hunters were awake and talking quietly.

"So?" Dean asked "Find anything out?"

"They'll do what they can" John answered taking his seat next to Sam.

A few hours later two nurses came in with a gurney.

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

"Penny, and Elle we are here to take Sam to have the tests ran on his heart." Dean scowled but moved over as they came and gently helped move the groggy Sam onto the gurney.

"You're not going alone" Dean said "I'm going with you, after what happened last time with the so called nurse. I do not trust you too to not just run off with him."

"Overprotective much?" Penny questioned as they moved out of the room.

"You have no idea" Dean muttered and followed Sam down the hall. A little while later Sam was returned to his room.

"How long will it take for you to find anything out?" Dean asked.

"Few hours maybe" Elle replied "depends on how important a particular case is. You should know before the day is over considering your brother's situation." That being said Dean reentered Sam's room.

After lunch Sam settled in for another nap, and John decided he was going to track down a certain elusive Miles Desmond.

"Keep him under lock and key" John informed room of hunters as he walked out the door.

"Don't have to worry" Dean said "No one is getting in this room without our permission." The day continued to pass at a slow pace, John had been gone for three hours when the hunters heard a startling, fluttering sound and a dark skinned being appeared in the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean said jumping to his feet, ready to protect his brother.

"I'm your brother's worst nightmare" the being replied and then immobilized the hunters.

"Say goodbye to this monstrosity for it's the last time you will see him alive." He reached out and grabbed Sam by the upper arm and then in a blink of an eye was gone.

Dean stared in shock as whatever it was that had stopped him in midair wore off. He stared at Sam's empty bed.

"Somebody mind explaining what the hell that was?" Dean said, breaking out of his shock.

"I believe it's the opposite of hell" Jim said quietly "its heaven's warriors."

"Angels don't exist" Dean said "and even if they did why would heaven's warriors be after Sam? What exactly did he do?"

"I can't tell you that but I think your father can" Jim answered as he turned to face the man that was standing in the doorway.

"Where is Sam?" he demanded fear gripping his heart.

"You won't believe me if I told you. But a man appeared out of nowhere and snatched him" Dean muttered. John gave him a dirty look. "I told you you wouldn't believe me"

"Dean's right. And I believe it was an angel that took him" Jim said, his words made John freeze in his tracks and his face paled into a horrible shade of white.

"What do you know that you're not telling" Dean demanded upon seeing the look on John's face.

"It started with…." John began but was interrupted as a nurse entered the room.

"He is most definitely in the beginning stages of heart failure" she announced making John feel sick to his stomach. If the angels had Sam, there was good possibility that they would "play" with him before finally killing him. After all they loved to torture the demons they were sent to kill. One thing was certain none of this boded well for Sam.

**Hope you enjoyed. Will post next chapter soon so please don't kill me. I had the pleasure of losing my job recently, so I will most certainly have more time to write while looking for another one. RL might knock me down but I will get back up swinging for all I am worth, the way I see it there is something better out there for me so it's their lose and not mine. Anyways have a great night. Liz.**


	7. Chapter 7

Shot in the dark

Chapter 7

One minute Sam had been sleeping, the next he had woken up in a cold warehouse with his hands bound behind him. He wondered how he'd gotten here after all no one should have been able to get past Dean. Sam looked around him noting there was no exit in sight and that made him wonder if escape was even going to be possible, that was if he could even manage to get out of the ropes binding him. He twisted his wrists wincing as the only thing he succeeded in doing was giving himself rope burn.

He stopped moving when he heard approaching footsteps on the concrete floor. He scowled at the man who stood before him.

"My dad and not to mention my brother will kill you when they catch up with you" he stated more bravely than he actually felt. The guy in front of him smirked before replying.

"I think not, they don't know where you are and they don't know who I am."

"You think who you are matters they'll hunt you down and kill you anyways" Sam declared, wondering what kind of crazy nut job had gotten ahold of him.

"Because they don't know how to kill me that's why" he said laughing at the frown on Sam's face. "Not feeling too well are you?" he asked noting the grimace.

"I got shot of course I don't feel all that great" he muttered wondering when common sense had made an exit.

"I'm an angel and my name is Uriel, Sam and there is no stopping me" Sam stared at him blankly. He heard rumors of angels in all the books he'd read he'd just didn't think it was possible.

"They'll find a way" Sam said hoping that they would.

"You have a strong faith in your family" Uriel said "I don't suppose they told you why you're actually here."

"Why would they know?" Sam asked "as far as I'm concerned you're just a winged bastard who makes a habit out of lying and doing what he wants." Uriel shook his head and then slapped Sam hard across his face.

"You know not of what you speak. You have no idea what I can do to you and what I am going to do to you."

"Are all angels as twisted as you?" Sam asked as his chest gave another throb. Uriel slammed his fist into Sam's chest hard, leaving the teen gasping in pain, as he felt his stitches tear. Sam had to blink back tears as he was blinded by pain.

"Your brother doesn't know what you are" Uriel leaned over and hissed into Sam's face. "Your father knows that you have demon blood and that you're going to need to be killed, it's better to do it now than later."

"You're lying" Sam said "There is no way possible that I could have demon blood it's not possible."

"Yes it is and you want to know why, it's for a competition to see who will make the best vessel for Lucifer" Uriel said laughing at the pain in Sam's eyes. "The angels don't want that to happen so we're taking care of it now."

Sam glared at him and wondered if there was an asylum for so called angels, this one needed to be locked up.

"I don't care if you don't believe me" Uriel said "But know that you won't be making it out of this warehouse alive." That being said Uriel began to beat Sam in earnest, ignoring the boys cries of agony, as the beating began to go on the brutal side. When the boy was unconscious Uriel took a break and disappeared. He'd come back and finish the boy in a little while.

Meanwhile back at the hospital.

Dean stared at the nurse in horror.

"How is that possible it wasn't that long ago that he was given the medicine? The effects shouldn't take place so soon."

"Unless he was already having problems and keeping them hidden from you." the nurse suggested "the tests suggest that's he's been having symptoms for a while now, and the longer it's going untreated the worse it's going to get."

"Sam wouldn't hide anything from me" Dean said though he wondered if Sam had been.

"That doesn't matter right now" John said "If the angel tortures him, his heart won't hold out against it, so it's likely we're racing against the clock so we had better find out where he is now."

John turned towards the window scowling. It was time that they needed to learn exactly why Sam had even been shot to begin with.

"I probably should have talked about this before now, but I wanted to find out more about it before anything got done about, but now someone has taken that choice out of my hands. Sam got shot because Mary made a deal with a demon that the demon would come in ten years and claim what was his. To make a long story short, Sam was six months old when it hit the ten year mark. That night was perfectly normal, we had just gotten Sammy settled for the night and we had gotten Dean settled in as well. I had gone downstairs and had fallen asleep watching a movie. I woke up when I heard Mary scream so I rushed upstairs, the room was empty when I checked on Sam but then I noticed blood was dripping down right next to his head, I looked up and Mary was pinned to the ceiling. She died because the demon bleed into Sammy's mouth and gave him demons blood. I still don't know why but I have been trying to research it but so far I haven't found much."

Dean was shocked he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"So somebody probably another hunter heard about it and decided he would change the future." Dean growled angry that somebody would accept the future as fact and then hurt a little kid.

"It's likely the angel put the hunter up to it for some reason." John said "but when I find out how to kill the angel he'll be the next to die after Desmond."

"You're going to need help finding Sam and with killing the angel" a voice said from the doorway. John turned and saw a black eyed nurse standing there. John scowled he couldn't stand the thought of accepting help from a demon.

"I know exactly where Sam is being kept and if you hurry you might actually get there while he's still alive." The nurse said.

"Fine but what's in it for you." John growled.

"Let's just see it as hell keeping an eye on its investment." The demon replied before pulling out a long blade.

"You're going to need this if you're going to get rid of the angel. And your son is being held in a warehouse at the edge of town. You had better hurry, he wasn't doing too well last time I checked." That being said the hunters disappeared leaving the demon standing there.

The drive only took them ten minutes, since there was only one warehouse at the edge. Dean wondered why the angel had taken him someplace so close when he could have easily gone anywhere else. Unless the angel had wanted them to find what was left of Sam.

"Are all angels this twisted?" Dean asked scowling he couldn't bare the thought of Sam being hurt any more than was necessary.

"I doubt it" Jim said quietly "Most angels I have read about aren't anything like this one. It's like he's gone off the deep end."

"I'd like to push him off the deep end" Dean muttered as they arrived at their destination. The place wasn't anything to brag about in fact it looked like it had been abandoned for about a century.

"This place could easily make Sam even sicker" Caleb said as the started their approach to what looked like the only entrance to the building. Once they made it in, they made their way to the center of the building and when they arrived what they saw terrorized them. Sam had obviously been severely beaten, the kid was unconscious, the chair he was tied to lying on its side. Sam's face was bloody and swollen; from the looks of it his jaw had been broken. Dean scowled at the sight the angel was going to pay dearly for what he'd done to Sam.

"Where the hell are you, you dickless freak" Dean shouted angry beyond words. Sam hadn't deserved to be beaten so badly, and he still didn't know what other injuries Sam had incurred. "You get your chickenshit self down here and face me!" Dean was ready to pull the angels feathers out one by one, and then he'd beat the angel till he was senseless.

"Dean settle down" John said feeling angry himself at the sight of his youngest lying so still.

"I want to settle this now" Dean said "I don't want him coming after Sammy again."

"We'll make sure he won't" John said sensing the angel approaching from behind them he gripped the blade tight in one hand and spun around and shoved the blade right into the angels heart.

"That's what you get for taking my son" John said as the body fell to the floor. Dean rushed over to where Sam was lying and kneeled down beside him. He placed two fingers on Sam's throat and sighed in relief, Sam was still with them.

"He has a pulse but barely" Dean called out. Caleb came over and grabbed his knife and easily cut Sam free, his arms falling limply to his side. The sight of his brother's torn wrists made Dean want to vomit, it was clear that Sam had struggled.

"We're going to get you some help Sammy" Dean said softly as he stood and then gently lifted the unconscious Sam into his arms. Sam was safe for now but they still had to worry about that other jackass.

**Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing and I will see you next chapter. Have a great rest of the week. Liz**


	8. Chapter 8

Shot in the dark

Chapter 8

Dean sat with Sam, praying that his little brother had the strength to make it to the hospital. He had never seen his little brother so badly beaten. He hoped he never would again. His heart ached as he watched his little brother struggle to breath, he wondered if Sam's lung had been punctured yet again. He hoped not, because that would put even more stress on Sam's heart, and Dean didn't think that Sam's heart would be able to take much more. And if his heart failed what the hell could Dean do about it. The fact that Dean couldn't stop the damage from hurting Sam anymore, hurt, he wanted his brother to be okay. He didn't want to have to watch his brother suffer while knowing that this could have been prevented.

Dean could hear his father on the phone a few feet away from him, speaking to the emergency service. He hoped they wouldn't waste too much time talking because Dean wasn't liking the way his little brother was looking. He was growing paler by the minute. Which made Dean wonder if he had an internal bleeding problem? He hoped not because that would only make it harder on Sam to survive and at this point Sam's surviving was the only thing that mattered. Dean leaned down and gently took hold of Sam's battered hand.

"You had better fight for us little brother" he said softly while taking his other hand and wiped the blood away from Sam's eyes. "I'm not letting you go, and neither is Dad, or our other family." Dean closed his eyes as tears formed. He couldn't stand this; it was more than obvious that Sam was hurting though he was unconscious. Dean had always hated to see Sam hurt; it had always felt like Dean's heart was literally being ripped out of his chest. But even now as Dean sat there beside his little brother's beaten body. Dean's agony was worse than ever, because he should have been able to stop this before it had ever gotten this far.

"Why didn't we just take him and run" Dean said looking up at his father, anger dripping from his voice. "Why didn't we just disappear while we had the chance, maybe then this wouldn't have happened."

"You know damn well that Sam couldn't be moved" John answered trying to ignore the accusation in Dean's eyes. He felt guilty enough without Dean adding to it.

"Yeah well we should have done something" Dean said "Now we don't know if he'll be able to make it through this time."

"Don't say that" John said "You know Sam's a fighter, he will make it through this."

"I don't think he will" Dean snapped the stress from the entire situation from having to worry about Sam, adding fuel to his anger. "You heard what the doctors said, his heart can't take much more stress, and it won't be able to handle it. I think being beaten within an inch of your life over qualifies as stress." Dean got up and walked away as much as hurt him to do so. He was so angry he felt like tearing the room apart. None of this was fair. He hated that it was always Sam who got the worst end of any hunt. He just wanted it to end so that Sam could live without too much damage. He had no idea if Sam survived how Sam would come out. Would he have Post Traumatic stress disorder? Would he even be normal at all? There were so many factors to this situation to consider Dean didn't know if he'd be able to handle it without going crazy. It already felt like he was slowly going nuts. He spent all of his time worrying about Sam but that didn't matter because the kid got kidnapped anyways and tortured by a dick with wings. The fact that Sam had even been taken while he was there made it even worse. Dean should have been able to do something instead he had to watch as his brother disappeared.

"I understand you're stressed, Dean" John said "this situation has been tough on all of us, but now is not the time to lose it. We need to help Sam."

"There's not much we can do for him" Dean growled though he felt guilty, he felt like he'd abandoned Sam at the worst possible moment. He just didn't think he could take the stress much longer.

"We can do enough to keep him alive until the medics get here" John said kneeling down beside Sam, who had started moaning and sounded like he was coming back to the world of the awake.

"Sammy?" John said softly as he watched his youngest slowly open his eyes. Sam jumped back when he saw the face that was in his. Terror filled him and he groaned in pain. He hurt everywhere and he was terrified that the angel would be back to finish what he'd started.

"You're going to be okay Sam" John said softly hating the fear he could see in his son's eyes. Something told him Sam wouldn't come away from this one undamaged and it made him want to bring the angel back only to kill him again. No one deserved to be hurt so bad that they feared life. "We're going to get you help" the soft whimper of pain that escaped Sam's lips broke John's heart and he felt like punching a wall. No father should ever have their child be scared of them. He hated the feeling and he knew it would be a very long time before Sam ever got over this if he ever did.

Ten minutes late the ambulance arrived, and as the medics loaded Sam onto the gurney and then into the ambulance John got in the ambulance beside Sam and shouted at the other hunters that he'd meet them at the hospital.

"Why the hell was in an abandoned building?" the medic who was taking Sam's vitals asked John who sat there watching silently.  
"He was taken from the hospital, and the sorry son of a bitch tortured him" John answered.

"How'd they managed to get him out of the hospital? Security should have seen them?"

"They wouldn't have seen this guy" John commented "he was pretty flighty. No man could have caught him." The guilt rose it's ugly head again as John thought about how Sam had just been taken from them and they hadn't been able to do anything about.

"I hope the police find him and lock him, no child should ever be hurt like this."

"I agree" John said "but as hell's going to have to deal with that guy now, payback's a bitch. And he got as good as he gave." A few short minutes later after Sam had been sedated they pulled into the emergency room.

"We'll take care of him" the medics said as they unloaded him and rushed him into the ER.

"You had better or I'm coming after you next" John muttered as he followed Dean and the other hunters into the waiting room.

**You know up until this point the stress of the situation has been more or less ignored and I can very well see that Dean seeing Sam as bad off as he is being the breaking point for him. it doesn't mean that Dean cares any less just that he's human and the situation can get pretty stressful, myself I probably would have lost it a long time ago. Anyways hope you enjoy! Have a great night. Liz**


	9. Chapter 9

Shot in the dark

Chapter 9

Dean paced the white tiles, impatient to hear some kind of news about Sammy. The kid had been beaten worse than Dean had ever seen, and he hoped to never see him in that condition again. He couldn't get Sam's swollen face out of his head, the image hurt more than Dean would admit. He should have been able to protect Sam. Dean felt bile rise in his throat at the thought that this was his fault. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to force down the nausea. He couldn't just sit here and wait; the stress was going to do him in. without telling John where he was going, Dean left the emergency room waiting room and went in search of the cafeteria. They could come and get him when they knew something.

Upon finding the cafeteria, Dean found an empty table and slammed himself into the empty seat. He couldn't watch Sam suffer any more without going crazy. It seemed like every bad guy always gone after Sam. The poor kid just naturally seemed to draw trouble like fly is drawn to things that are sweet. He swallowed hard as the image of Sam's beaten; bloody unconscious body filled his head. He felt like getting sick, the angel had really worked Sam over. He had never believed in angels before but he had always thought if they'd existed they would have been good. This situation just completely blew that idea out of the water. Dean didn't think he would ever trust another angel, if he happened to come across one again. He hoped not, he would probably attempt to kill it on sight. Nobody messes with Dean's little brother without paying the price, even if they are of a celestial descent.

He must have been looking pretty distressed, sitting there at the table alone. He had to admit he was feeling very distressed with all that had happened, as if to add to his growing mountain of stress, was the fact that he had no idea if Sam was going to pull through. He knew he should have faith but after everything, his faith had been blown to bits.

"Hey, are you okay?" A blonde nurse older looking nurse asked as she started past his table, she couldn't help but notice the lost look in the young man's eyes.

"My brother is in surgery, don't know if he's going to make it" Dean answered quietly betraying his distress even more. Dean was never quiet about anything.

"I've seen many patients come through those doors" the nurse said sitting down at the table with Dean. "I've seen doctors tell the patients family to expect the worst, that the particular patient wouldn't make it through, I've seen those same patients walk out of the hospital weeks later."

"That's good for them" Dean said bluntly "But you didn't see Sam when he was brought in."

"The scruffy headed kid?" The nurse asked "Sam is his name I believe," Dean nodded "I did see him brought in, and he did look pretty bad, makes me sick to think a person could do that to a child, especially a child that looks a lot like mine. I was in the ER, I know that it looks bad, but you have to believe in the unexpected, have a little faith, you'll never know what might happen. Sam might prove to be even stronger than you think."

"Even if he does survive he's going to be set back quite a ways." Dean said sighing; it would take Sam an extremely long time to get over this latest event.

"I didn't say it wouldn't be a long hard road for him, but trust me when I say I know he'll be okay, he'll struggle for a long time but I know you, as his big brother will be right there beside him the whole time, encouraging him."

Dean frowned she sounded as if she knew the future and that made him suspicious, no one could ever know the outcome of his current situation.

"You act like you know the future" Dean said looking up into the eyes of the nurse. "No one can tell me how this is going to turn out without being a supernatural critter. So if you don't mind telling me what you are, I'll think about putting you out of your misery."

"You should never have grown up hunting" the nurse muttered before standing up "and I'm not a supernatural creature I'm just someone who has been with you for a long time" she started to walk away though she knew she had piqued Dean's curiosity.

"Then who are you?" Dean asked.

"My name is Mary and you don't have to distrust all angels, we're not all bad." That being said she disappeared around the corner. Making Dean wonder if it was possible that there were good angels around, it would explain how she would know the future."

A little while later John found Dean sitting in the cafeteria, sitting alone, staring at the far wall. He approached quietly and sat down in front of him.

"Have you heard anything about Sam yet?" Dean asked breaking his train of thought to focus on his father.

"Not much except he's still in surgery and in critical condition" John answered.

"A nurse just told me that Sam was going to be just fine, after a long hard struggle of course" Dean said though he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

John stiffened. He didn't like the sound of what Dean was telling him, he hoped it wasn't another supernatural creature after Sam.

"If she had planned on doing anything to Sam do you think she would have told me he was going to be okay?" Dean asked as if reading John's thoughts.

"I still think we had better keep a close eye on Sam" John said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was tired and ready to find a bed, but as long as Sam's condition remained unknown he wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't plan on leaving him alone and no winged freak is going to stop me this time, I'll be prepared this time" Dean said firmly and John didn't doubt him. He knew Dean was overprotective because he had more or less trained Dean to be that way. They continued to talk for a little longer until Dean finally felt ready to return to the waiting room.

As Dean and John were passing the operating room doors, they heard an alarm blare and they instantly knew that someone was flatlining. Dean felt fear strike him and he paused in his movements. He had the feeling that it was Sam who was flatlining. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but the breath didn't come and Dean could hear himself gasping, struggling to take in air. He felt John's hand on his back and heard him try to talk him through the panic attack.

"You don't know that it's Sam" John said softly as he stood beside his son's bent form. "There's several other people who are having emergency surgery done, it might not be Sammy" _then again how do you know it's not? _A small voice in John's head asked _there are not that many people in for emergency surgery, not with injuries like Sam's._ John shook his head trying to clear his head, thoughts like those weren't going to help matters any.

"Sammy's going to be just fine" John repeated hoping to break through to Dean, and put an end to this panic attack. Sure enough it seemed to work and Dean finally took a deep breathe.

"I won't make it if he doesn't" Dean said hoarsely "I won't even think about it." that being said Dean went and joined Caleb in the waiting room.

**Hope you enjoy, sorry for the wait. Next chapter I may include the first chapter of my book Open Arms. So let me know if you want to read it! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz (p.s. NOT a deathfic.)**


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